A student group at George Washington University took credit for projecting pro-Hamas messages onto a campus building Tuesday night.
An anonymous representative from the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at the school confirmed to the GW Hatchet, the school's student newspaper, that the group had planned the event in which it projected messages such as "Free Palestine from the river to the sea" and "Glory to our martyrs" onto the school's Gelman Library.
After the projections went on for over an hour, police asked the demonstrators to take down the display, a request with which they complied.
The student group also used such slogans in a statement it released two days after the Oct. 7 attacks in which Hamas terrorists marauded through southern Israel, killing approximately 1,400 Israelis. In that statement, the group said that "Palestinians in Gaza and across occupied Palestine have mobilized against the Zionist entity, seizing settlements imposed on our land in violation of international law."
"These events have only reaffirmed what every Palestinian knows deeply: That we will see a liberated Palestine within our lifetimes," the statement read. "The settler colony will fall, our land will be liberated, and we will return to our homes again. Palestine will be free from the river to the sea."
The statement also claimed that "every Palestinian is a civilian even if they hold arms" and that "a settler is an aggressor, a soldier, and an occupier, even if they are lounging on our beaches." It condemned Israel's response as "indiscriminately targeting men, women, and children, slaughtering entire families and buildings of families in a single strike. Over 600 of our people have ascended to martyrdom and that number grows every hour. Glory to our martyrs, each and every one."
A university spokesman directed the Washington Free Beacon to a statement that called the Tuesday display "unauthorized" and noted that university "leadership intervened to ensure that these projections were removed."
"The statements made by these individuals in no way reflect the views of the university," that message from the school read. "We are reviewing this incident and will take any appropriate steps with respect to the individuals involved in accordance with university policies."
The message also noted the "distress, hurt, and pain this has caused for many members of our community" and said that the school's president, Ellen Granberg, would address the matter directly.
The demonstration also attacked the university administration, with projected messages saying, "GW the blood of Palestine is on your hands" and "Divestment from Zionist genocide now." The latter message refers to the university benefiting from investments in weapons companies that provide arms to Israel, the Hatchet reported. Other projected statements included "GW is complicit in genocide in Gaza," "President Granberg is complicit in genocide in Gaza," and "Your tuition is funding genocide in Gaza."
The chapter on Oct. 10 held a "Vigil for the Martyrs of Palestine," which saw the crowd chant, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." A speaker also read from the group's statement celebrating the Hamas attacks.
Granberg released a message the day after the vigil condemning the Hamas terror attacks and adding that she abhors "the celebration of terrorism and attempts to perpetuate rhetoric or imagery that glorifies acts of violence."
Neither the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter nor its staff adviser, David Bonilla-Ciferri, responded to requests for comment. After publication, a George Washington University spokesman informed the Free Beacon that Bonilla-Ciferri is not permitted to speak on behalf of the school.
Anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incidents have proliferated on college campuses since the terror attacks first occurred. Campus groups at schools across the country released statements excusing or celebrating the attacks in the aftermath. A woman at Columbia University on Oct. 11 allegedly assaulted an Israeli student who was putting up posters of hostages taken by Hamas.